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Proper Ways to Ground a CB

CB, which stands for Citizen Band, radio has been around for some time. Using one does not require a license as a Ham Radio does, so there are many amateur radio users with CBs in their homes and cars. One of the essential requirements for installing a CB is in grounding the unit and the antenna to prevent lightning from damaging the unit or your house. Proper grounding of a CB also can help reduce interference in the reception and broadcasting on your radio.

Ground the Radio
- In the back of your CB radio, tuner and additional equipment there is a hole labeled, "Ground." The radio and other equipment should be grounded together using a coaxial copper wire. By scoring the insulation off the coaxial wire, you can separate the individual wires and connect each wire to one of the pieces of equipment you are using. The other end of the coaxial wire should be connected to an insulator no more than 9 feet from the equipment. The length of this ground wire should be kept short. You can use three copper ground rods hammered into the ground for this wire as an insulator. Cut the insulation off this end of the coaxial cable and wrap the wiring of each of three wires to the three copper ground rods. Secure them in place with electrical tape.
Ground the Base Antenna
- A typical CB antenna is 36 feet tall, an ideal target for lightning strikes. Your antenna kit should include radial ground wires. Attach the wire to the top of your antenna and wrap it around the length of the antenna before it is erected. Once the antenna is erected, dig six trenches, one half inch in depth, radiating out from the antenna base in six directions. Lay out six radial ground wires in these trenches and bury them.
Ground the Tower
- The tower is the structure that holds the antenna in the air. Since it too is mostly metal, grounding the tower is a good idea. Drive a 6 foot long copper spike at least 3 feet into the ground near the tower. Attach one end of a copper wire to one of the bolts or screws at the base of the tower and the other end to the copper ground rod.
Grounding a Mobile CB Radio
- For those desiring a mobile CB unit to place in your vehicle, many of the modern CBs purchased are known as NGP or No Ground Plane units. These do not need a ground or grounding wire. The radio itself is plugged into the interior ground inside the vehicle. Older CB radios required an antenna ground to the steel frame of the vehicle via a coaxial cable. Many times this was done by attaching the other end of the coaxial cable to the firewall in the vehicle's engine compartment.

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